Unwilling

~*Jared*~

He had been thrown into the cellar unceremoniously, like a sack of potatoes. Harry tried to dampen his fall with his own body, but somehow Jared managed to dodge his crouching form and not land on the floor, though it must have looked quite inelegant.

The door fell shut behind him, his captors were moving up the stairs again.

"Jar-" Harry began, but Jared shushed him viciously.

Only when the second door on the upper end of the stairs fell shut he looked at Harry and smiled with relief.

"You're alive, thank god," he grumbled, and then sat down hard with a huff. His legs burned and pulsed from the bumps and bruises he had gotten through all that dragging, but the pain was dulling already.

The distant sounds of a brawl came from upstairs, then they could hear a bit of shouting, and both recognized the voice instantly.

"That asshole." Jared bared his teeth at the memory of 'Mr. Sultry', but Harry's cheeks reddened instantly.

"He's not that bad," he replied, and tried to hide a smile. The small upturn of his lips stopped instantly when Harry realized that Jared must have been with Darwin when they caught him.

"Where's Darwin? Is he alright? Is he alive?" he wheezed through the sudden rapid beating of his heart. His pulse was in his throat, loud enough for Jared to hear.

A pang of jealousy ran through Jared's body once more, but he swallowed it. There were bigger fish to gut, and Harry and Darwin would always be this close so he'd better get used to it.

"I think he's alright. I threw myself at them to give him time to flee, but he's still hurt. I'm more concerned about what he's doing right now though." Jared gave Harry a hard stare, punctuating his next words. "He turned and followed the car as a wolf."

By the way Harry blanched he knew about Darwin's wolf, and more than Jared had been told.

"Oh... that's bad. That's really, really bad," he wheezed, and looked around once more. "We need to get out here and find him before someone kills him!"

'You don't say,' Jared thought, but didn't say it out loud. Upstairs the commotion had stopped, but there was still a trace of murmur in the air, like a hint of many voices talking at a distance.

"Have you found an escape route yet?" he asked and glanced at Harry.

"There's a window I could probably squeeze through, but not with my hands bound like this." He wiggled his arms behind his back to make his point.

"We could do something about that, but I won't fit through that window, and there are people with guns outside," Jared huffed and rubbed his itching nose against his knee. It didn't help the burning scrapes beneath the Jeans.

"Well," Harry said, his breath indicating the onset of hysteria, "we could break down the door and fight our way free, or,... or we could take one of them as a hostage and negotiate! Did they take your mobile phone? We could call the cops!" The last words were breathy and gaspingly spoken, then Harry started to suck in air like a drowning man.

Jared swore. "Don't you change now, I swear, I will pummel you! Breathe slowly, Harry!"

It only took a split second for him to realize that barking patronizing orders wouldn't really help. Muttering curses he scooted closer, ignoring the burning pain on his legs. The jeans would chafe anyways, he couldn't wait for his skin to heal.

"Harry, stop that," he ordered, this time with a calmer voice, "Come closer and lie down, put your head onto my lap. Just like that. And now press one finger after another against your palm, one goes down, the other goes up."

As Jared listened to Harry's breath calming more and more, he stared at the ceiling and tried to suppress a growl. Crazy as it was, he wished it were Darwin here with him, not Harry, even if that would have meant their death. On the other hand, Darwin would never have panicked like that, and he certainly wouldn't have taken kindly to being ordered around.

Harry made a low purr and it caught Jared's attention. He could feel Harry breathing in deeply against his lower belly, then exhaling, and the hot wash of air made Jared shudder and his crotch react.

This was not good.

"Let's see if we can get rid of these cuffs, shall we?" Jared huffed and wiggled away. He was used to his body being a man-whore, but now it started to bother him. There was a feeling of wrongness about being aroused by other men, although his body didn't seem to agree yet. It was embarrassing, to be honest.

"Do you have any chewing gum or tin foil on you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Can you reach my pockets?"

Jared shuffled closer again, awkwardly turning around. His fingers touched Harry's flank and he struggled to reach down and fumble around in his jeans pocket.

"Whoa, that was a bit too far!" Harry chuckled.

"Shut your cake hole, I found something," Jared answered, intently groping around in the small space.

"I can feel that."

Growling softly Jared pulled out a crumbled piece of chewing gum paper and instantly retreated. "I really don't get how you can think of sex right now," he grumbled, trying to flatten the foil coated paper between his fingers.

"I'm not, I'm just really nervous. Trying to lighten the mood, y'know," Harry admitted, watching Jared's hands intently. "What are you trying to do?"

"These are steel cuffs, right? I'm trying to make a shim."

"A what?"

"A shim. It's a way to open cuffs if you find yourself in a, uh, bind." Rubbing the foil against his palm he formed a flat double layered slice and then leaned forward. "I need your eyes now. I need to get the edge into the gap above the teeth, like cracking a door lock with a credit card. Tell me where to move it."

It took a few tries to get them coordinated, but after a few minutes of fruitless fumbling Harry finally announced the foil being in the correct place.

Jared sighed. The intricate gymnastics had set his arms on fire, but he wasn't done yet.

"Now just one more-" he muttered, then tightened the cuff. The click was muffled, and a second later Jared's hand was free.

"That's a cool trick. Where did you learn that?" Harry was visibly impressed.

"Well, let's just say my one and only ever girlfriend was a bit nuts." Jared grinned, then suddenly turned his head and froze, listening intently.

The next moment he wasn't sitting next to Harry anymore, but standing behind the door, pressed against the wall, his face looking feral and intent.

Harry hadn't even really seen him move, he had been that quick. He would have said something, but in that moment the door opened and Rayne scurried through the small gap, looking nervous.

He had one split second of warning when Harry's eyes got wide, then Jared grabbed his arm, spun him around as he twisted it behind Rayne's back and pounded his head into the wall mercilessly.

~*~

"Don't hurt him!"

Grating Mr. Sultry's face against the wall a bit harder Jared threw an unfriendly look at Harry. "Why not?"

For a moment he put more pressure on Rayne's twisted arm. The pained groan that followed made him grin happily. Oh yes, he'd had a whole long car ride to sit through just to get here, and now he was going to enjoy this.

"Jared!" Harry stumbled to his feet and came closer, his face worried for... that guy? His expression made Jared tighten his grip just a little bit more. "Before you turn him to mush, would you please, please just ask him why he's here unarmed and alone?"

Jared answered the plea with another hard slam against the wall, followed by a gratifying gasp of pain from his victim. His anger was a new taste on his tongue, tangy and thick like pre-cum. He liked the taste, and he liked the promise it held.

Revenge.

Unfortunately Harry was right, though the thought of delaying his revenge made Jared bare his teeth unhappily. The fun would have to wait at least a little bit longer.

"Fine." He lowered the pressure on Rayne's arm, grabbed his hair with his other hand and pulled his head back enough to be able to look at his profile.

"Talk. And do it fast and to the point, I'm not renowned for composure."

Harry sighed relievedly, and Jared shot him a curious look. That boy acted like they had a relationship, which was impossible as far as Jared knew. They had known each other for a maximum of a few hours. He'd have to ask Harry about that later.

Rayne sucked in a deep breath, trying not to wince at the pulsing pain in his arm and face. "I'm here to rescue you, I swear! But we need to hurry if you want to save Darwin too, and you'll have to promise to take me with you!"

Jared snorted. "Take you with us? Why would we do that? You're the reason we are here in the first place."

"Because I can't stay here, okay? I know Carl's plans, and I know they won't work, I'm as good as dead if I stay. Even if I wouldn't let you get away."

Jared thought about it for a moment. It had been made painfully clear that they wouldn't be able to stay in Banes, even if they managed to escape the pack. To do so would mean their deaths. He hadn't thought that far ahead though, and he needed to find out what Carl really intended to do. His back still itched with the need to hurt someone, anyone who meant harm to him, Darwin or even Harry, but Mr. Sultry probably wasn't the right target.

Switching his hand from Rayne's back to his throat and keeping his arm locked behind his back Jared spun him around, keeping him off balance by stepping between his legs.

"Uncuff Harry," he ordered, his voice giving no room for discussion, and Rayne wasn't going to argue about it. He fumbled for the keys with one hand and did his best to unlock the cuffs as Jared listened to his labored breath. He could feel Rayne's pulse against his fingertips and itched to press down on his throat, but held back grudgingly.

Only when Harry turned around rubbing his wrists did he loosen his grip just enough to stop hurting Rayne, but didn't let go of him altogether.

"Check the stairs and listen at the door upstairs, Harry," Jared barked, and watched the submissive slink away without a comeback.

The door creaked, Harry's steps sounded at the stairs, then there was silence.

Jared shoved Rayne forward and let him go at the same time, watching him fall to the ground and roll away to get out of Jared's reach. It was gratifying not having to play a role anymore, and for once Jared let go on his tight grip on his presence, letting it flood the room.

There was no way to deny him being Alpha anymore, and Rayne shuddered when the intense feeling crept over his body and brought his pulse to his tongue. He had seriously underestimated Jared, he suddenly was painfully aware of this.

There was a special rage in the air, and it promised pain.

"Tell me." Jared's voice had dropped an octave and become a deep, vibrating rumble that carried through the tension like a whip lash. It wasn't a demand, it was an order no-one but another Alpha could have denied, and Rayne didn't try to.

"Carl plans to get rid of all the submissives in his pack. He's got that crazy idea that they don't need them, that they'll get more powerful without them, and he won't be swayed. He told the others he just wants you, Harry and Darwin gone, that he doesn't want to harm you, but it's a lie. They are looking for Darwin right now, and if they find him they'll kill him. I told them I was on their side so I could help you get away, but you'll have to take me with you. They'll kill me if they find you gone. And even if they don't, I'll never survive the massacre that'll ultimately happen without submissives around."

"And you really expect me to believe that kind of horse shit?" Jared replied chuckling. He couldn't smell traces of lying, and he couldn't see any telltale signs of it in Rayne's body language, but what he had heard just wasn't believable. Nobody was that crazy. Nobody was able to make others believe such crazy notions.

A shot rang outside, the sound carried through one of the air vents, followed by hurried footsteps from the stairs.

Both Rayne and Jared had first looked to the air vent and now switched their gazes to the door, only to fixate on each other again when Harry stepped through.

Rayne broke the shocked silence first. "We really don't have time for this right now, but I promise to tell you everything as soon as I can, okay?"

Jared didn't budge, staring him down with a glint of aggression in his grayish eyes.

"What do I have to do to convince you I meant what I said?!" Rayne hissed, and this time Jared could hear his voice reel in time with his racing heart beat. He really was nervous, at least that much Jared believed.

And he also could think of something that would make him believe Rayne's honesty concerning his wish to set them free and go with them.

Jared took a step forward, and this time Rayne didn't move back.

"Prove your allegiance to me," Jared growled, standing proud and imposing, inches from Rayne.

There was a short pause and everyone held their breath. Jared could see the inner turmoil Rayne had to fight at his command, and took it as another sign of truthfulness, but it wouldn't do anyone any good as long as Rayne couldn't follow up with actions.

Then Rayne breathed out, closed his eyes and tilted his head, baring the side of his neck and his throat to Jared.

A short baring of his teeth was all he could manage, then his head rushed forward and his teeth clamped down around the quick pulse of Rayne's artery.

When Rayne made a pained sound that close to Jared's ear he had to fight against the need to bite through skin and blood vessels, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around the vulnerable man to press him closer, to feel his tension against his body. The fight for dominance wasn't over yet, and Jared silently prayed that Rayne would decide to fight him so he could kill him without regrets. Another mouth to feed and care for hadn't been planned.

Just when Jared thought he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer Rayne suddenly relaxed in his arms, giving in to the silent demand for submission.

Another shot rang out, more muffled this time and probably a good distance away, but the sound made Jared open his jaws and let go of Rayne.

In a split second Harry was there, kneeling next to Rayne and grabbing his upper arm to help him back up. "Done? Then we really need to leave, like, right now!" he hissed.

~*~

They had a hard time avoiding the hunters around the pack house, but as luck had it everyone was looking for someone from the outside, so no-one watched the house.

Only when the three reached the woods things got more difficult. With Jared bringing up the rear and Rayne leading they managed to dodge two groups of search parties, but it was Harry who finally caught Darwin's scent and lead the way from there.

Jared would have been able to do so himself, but he was preoccupied with keeping an eye on the dark werewolf staying curiously close to Harry. Something was going on between those two, there was no denying that, but that also was a topic for another day. Still, Jared wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he found Darwin only to have to tell him that he had gotten Harry killed in the process. So he watched Rayne watching Harry, and kept a look out for additional search parties.

Their path led them out of the woods and into the outskirts of the city where farmland and fallow fields bordered on new housing sites. The wind blew in cold gusts, flattening the dried and frostbitten grass every so often, and the night sky was spotted with bits of clouds and stars. It was a dangerous area with nowhere to hide, but at least it made following Darwin's trail much easier and faster. The group broke into a jog and only stopped when Harry suddenly drove his heels into the ground and sniffed loudly.

"Someone is following him, and closely at that," he whispered breathlessly. His worried glance met Jared, but there was no need to talk further. Instead they broke into a run, following the dead straight scent trails leading into Banes and right onto the grounds of Banes Central University.

They stopped next to the bleachers at the edge of the multi-use sports field, confused by the path their search had lead them on. Jared and Harry exchanged a puzzled glance, then Harry said, "this doesn't make any sense. Darwin's wolf would never ever come here."

"Why not? It's where Darwin lives, isn't it?" Rayne interceded.

"Yes, but it's not Darwin's wolf's home."

"What's the difference?"

Jared took a few steps into the direction the scent had lead them so far. Statsby Hall was straight ahead, dimly lit by a few of the dozens of windows. "Darwin has no control in wolf form. And his wolf doesn't live here. He'd never try to hide in a campus full of human students." But if Darwin had gained control over his wolf, he would probably come here because of all the witnesses, and because he knew where to go and where he could hide. He would know that his hunters wouldn't go all out for fear of being seen.

Jared turned around. "We can solve this puzzle later. Let's find Darwin first, before his executioners do."

Rayne still looked confused, but he didn't argue. They followed the concrete path leading back to the dorm buildings at a brisk pace, not quite running yet, but also not dallying anymore.

Then they heard a shot ringing through the night air, and ran.

~*Darwin*~

The wolf had managed to follow the car as far as the unused ranger's hut before he had had to keep his distance to avoid getting caught. Now he lay in the bushes about ninety yards down the road, trying to keep an eye on the pack house without getting caught by the patrols.

The wind hit his face in gusts, carrying the smell of burnt fuel, other wolves, pain and pine resin with it. It was not a steady breeze, but the flurries were strong enough to pull at his fur when they came, and they were unrelenting.

The wolf watched silently as the humans pulled his mate out of the car. The way they dragged him inside unceremoniously made him growl softly as his muscles tightened, ready to jump forward and defend his Alpha against such a treatment. But once again there was that strange, unsettling voice inside his head, telling him to stop and wait, pointing out the danger of such an idea. They had guns, the voice whispered. They were waiting for him to fuck it up and come out, it argued.

The wolf knew that voice. It was his human half, the one he had pushed into the back of his mind for years, just like it had pushed him back when it had control over this body.

When Jared disappeared into the house the wolf hesitated once more. He wanted to follow, to get closer, but he could smell the armed patrols around the house and in the woods surrounding it. They hadn't noticed him yet, but if he changed position they probably would catch his scent. On the other hand, the wind would likely change directions anyway, as it always did in such unsteady weather conditions. They would find him sooner or later, if he found out useful information before that happened he at least would have something to go with.

Keeping low to the ground the wolf sneaked along the bushes lining the grass clearing around the house. He stopped ever so often when one of the guards walked by, listening intently to the voice in his head telling him what their faces and gestures meant. He hadn't had any real interaction with human shaped werewolves before, never mind real humans, and his shapeless, bodyless companion was all he had to get around them. It was thrilling.

When he reached the end of the 'wind cone' he had mapped mentally by judging the direction and changes of the wind gusts, he cowered down once more. Lights were on in the whole ground level of the house and the wind carried bits and pieces of heated voices, steps and other noises. The strange openings below that level were illuminated differently, and once again the human side filled in the blanks for the wolf. Those openings lead down to a cellar much like the one the wolf had been kept in every full moon cycle, and the lights meant someone was down there.